How to Decorate a Room

Step 1

1

Determine the purpose and mood of the room. The vibe in the living room will be very different from the vibe in the bedroom. Think about how the room is used — is it a place to relax, a place to gather with friends, a place to work, a place to sleep — and how you want to feel when you are in the room.

The function of the room is just as important as the overall look. The main function of your bedroom is as a place to unwind and sleep, so while you may be loving those loud prints, they might be better suited to a room with more action.

Make a list of words that describe how you want to feel in the room: productive, quiet, social, inspired. Keep these words in mind when you’re decorating and ask yourself if the furniture, colors, and accents you are choosing support the mood you want.

Do a little research on color theory to help emphasize mood. Bright colors encourage social behavior, so they work well in a living room. A room that is all one color isn’t as exciting, but works well where you want a calm vibe, like a bedroom.

Step 2

2

Get ideas from design blogs and magazines. Use a website like Pinterest to collect images of rooms you like. Only select the rooms that really inspire you and look like places where you would enjoy spending time.

Once you have a good collection, go through the pictures and pick out any common elements to incorporate into your own design scheme.

Look at colors, textures, themes and styles (like rustic, modern, or nautical), furniture, lighting, or anything else that you notice popping up in your inspirational rooms.

Remember to consider the feel of the room. If one of your inspirational rooms makes you feel happy, try to pinpoint what it is about that space that brings out those feelings. Is it because there is a lot of natural light? Or the bright colors?